Driven Pursuit
by Kiashi Goldbeak 501
Summary: crossover of Transformers and Predator ... They became prey and then saviors. What does it take to end a predator's hunt? I'm back! With CHAPTER 3, enjoy! don't kill me!
1. Fire's Transformation

(TF/Predator crossover)

**Driven Pursuit**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Transformers or Predator. All unrecognizable characters belong only to me.

**Chapter 1** : Fire's Transformation

00o0o0o00

Was there anything that could have been done?

A young girl watched the flames take away her home as she sat alone in her pajamas, the cold dew of the morning biting at her bare feet. The fire licked the vinyl sheets, having already ravaged the inside. The only other person that had been within at the time was her mother. But she was gone now. And the child with the long brown hair and large hazel eyes knew no one else. At least, no one human. Standing up on wobbly legs, her burned hands gripped her teddy bear tightly against her chest, which was now missing a leg and an ear. After a few painful steps, the remote sound of sirens wailing in the distance against the sunrise could be heard. With her scrapped arm, the girl reached for the door handle of a car, the one sitting in her drive way. The door was always unlocked. She climbed in, and squeezed between the front seats to lay down on the banquet. Her teddy still close to her, she began drifting off into a deep sleep.

Silently, the vehicle backed out into the street and made its way out of the vicinity as the firefighters reached the dying flames of the house fire. No one knew of the disappearance of the little girl yet, and no neighbor had been aware of the incident. All that would be left to remember the child was a half-burned photo on the ground where there once had been a desk, her beautiful smile the grim reminder of a better past.

0o0o0o0

15 years later.

A tall and slim woman walked along the sidewalk, the afternoon sun shining down upon her. Brown loose hair reaching her leather belt, the 22 years old made her way with confidence to the waterfront, where her car was parked. By now, a single look would have told anyone the thing was and old junker, nothing but a pile of scrap compared to the new vehicles of today. But the woman didn't care. This care was more than meet the eye.

Climbing in, she pulled down the mirror above her head to take a quick look at her face. The makeup was holding on. Good. Inserting the key in the ignition, the engine revved before she had time to turn the metal fragment.

''Impatient today, aren't we?'' she said, tapping the dashboard lightly.

No other sound than the rumbling of the motor answered her. She sat back in her seat, a hand on the steering wheel. The car turned from the parking lot to head for a less tourist-crowded part of the seaside. A few miles south was a sandy beach hidden between two rocky cliffs, out of sight of most of the inhabitants and passersby. Only a rare lost vacationer on canoe would find this place.

A small dirt road led all the way up above the secret beach, forgotten a long time ago by even the locals. Large pine trees bordered either side, their roots creating bumps in the narrow passageway. The woman saw a small doe jump a rusty fence before blending with the under-brush. The car rolled a little faster through the tight turns. The modest forest soon cleared up, giving way to a field of tall grasses, speckled by tall brown bushes swaying in the sea breeze.

She stopped the car, and retrieved the key. Without moving she looked out beyond the car's glass, and to the horizon. If she squinted, she would be able to make out the shape of the landmass on the other side of the sea. It was low tide now, and seagulls grew numerous, using that short period of time to find fish and crustaceans. The wind had died down since this morning.

Yet, she could not forget what day this was. 15 years ago she left her destroyed home at the age of 7, without money, clothes, shelter or anything, but her car. She could barely remember her mother's face…and at times, she would forget herself…

''Katelyn. I am 22 years old, I live in a rundown apartment with a bossy cat and work for an even bossier patron.'' she reminded herself aloud.

''I know that.'' came a gruff male voice.

Distracted, the girl simply patted the dashboard once more.

''Are we going?'' the voice continued.

…

''…yeah. C'mon.''

Kate left the coolness of the vehicle's interior and stretched herself in the sunlight. The wild grass reached up to her navel. A mechanical grinding was heard behind her, with the distinct sound of metal sliding upon itself following. Ignoring it, the girl walked over to the ledge. She could see the sand about 30 to 40 feet below, the footprints she had left behind the day before now washed away. Two booming steps slightly shook the ground, bringing a towering shadow above the woman. She looked up with a smile into the glow of a pair of red lends, which she learned to call 'optics'.

A metal hand reached down, bending the grass to beckon Kate onto it. The forearm was thick and covered in the same material of the same color as her old Nissan. One foot after the other, she stepped on the warm metal, a glove-covered hand holding on to the creature's thumb. He had been the one to care for her all that time. Oleum. She could still remember that fateful day when she first met him. At first, she had always believed that there had been something strange about that car…but until her mother showed her…

She muffled a scream when his digits came to surround her as he jumped the height of the cliffs. Would he ever give her some warning? Soon enough she was let down, and she noted the size of the hole his landing had made in the sand. Bigger than last time. Kate briefly wondered if he did that on purpose.

Finding a rock to sit on, the woman let her sandals fall of her feet as she pulled away her gloves. The robot had walked some distance away, taking flat stones from the nearest rock deposit washed in by the sea, and practiced making them skip on the water. He once had tossed one so far that it had bounced out of Kate's sight, but Oleum had affirmed that the stone had managed to leap over the waves a hundred and forty two times before sinking.

That mech. What could she have done without him. He even had managed to get a local guy to look her way a week ago…oh! She almost forgot. Kate had a date with him in an hour.

Motioning the machine over, he took her back up the cliff once she had put on her gloves and shoes. Transforming back into the beat-up vehicle, Oleum drove his friend away from the sea and into town. That ritual of coming and going to the beach was daily, and relatively safe. No one suspected a giant robot living amongst them.

But someone had noticed.

A pair of golden eyes shined in reflection of the sun's rays within the cover of a pine's large branches. A mix of clicks and growls preceded a soft chuckle that slowly grew into an evil gurgle. The deer had been right to run when it had. Too bad for Oleum and Kate, they weren't escaping the creature's ambitions.

00o0o0o00

**TBC…**


	2. When will it End

**Driven Pursuit**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Transformers or Predator. All unrecognizable characters belong only to me. '_Strangers_' is the title of the song.

**Chapter 2**: When will it End

00o0o0o00

''Come in Hunter.''

Static.

''Hunter, come in.''

Still nothing.

''Halkrath! Answer me damn it! We have a situation up here!''

Slowly, high in a pine's branches, a shadow turned, the boots on its feet cracking the bark. In a leap, the thing fell upon a lower branch, breaking it and making it fall down to earth with the creature. Slowly it rose, brushing off woodchips from its armor with a large padded hand. The soft bed of needles that composed the carpet of the forest caved-in under every step of the being.

In the crook of another pine's roots, a box was left hidden, half-buried under the brown-orange prickly barbs, out of sight. It was a video transmitter, equipped with technology much too advanced to have been made by humans. And much too small and primitive, to come from Oleum's species.

A little ball of grey fur, with a pointy, twitchy nose, large pink ears and long velvety tail, was sitting on the box, its little paws making quick work cleaning its head, as the large black eyes surveyed the animal's surrounding in a frenzied panic. It didn't notice the large hand that came swatting it off its feet, and sent it flying a few meters off in some shrubs.

The box was dusted from the needles, a clawed finger pressing down a red button on the side of the device to activate it. At first, only static, and little by little, a fuzzy image appeared on screen. The creature adjusted a wire or two through an open side of the box in an attempt to clear up the picture. What could be made out was a blurry world of rapid movements in the background, the indistinct sounds of shouting and growling, followed by tremors flowing throughout the entire view every few moments. A large figure stood closest to the camera, allowing a better view of it, than the rest of the image.

A low growl was emitted from the one in the forest in recognition.

''Hunter Halkrath! About time!'' came the voice of the creature, covered by more static than what the hunter would have liked.

''What is happening up there?'' came the slow, deep tone of the one under the pine tree.

A sudden strong tremor violently shook the place where the correspondent was standing, making him stumble slightly before he refocused himself of the communication. Someone shouted in the distance as a computer panel blew across the room.

''There is an alien vessel firing at us!'' the static grew louder to a high-pitched wine. As it lowered, the being standing on the bridge spoke again. ''We're trying to maneuver our way from it, but it is too fast!''

''Any contact with the crew?''

''None. The unidentified ship simply came out of nowhere. I will lead them away to…argh! Damned shields!''

''Captain?''

''Stay! ...where you are! We'll come back to pick you up as soon as we kill those sons of…''

A sudden wave of firepower rocketed the ship side-ways, sending the crew of the bridge to momentarily crash into the left wall, out of sight of the camera's angle.

''Captain!''

No response.

''Damn it!''

Turning off the video receptor, then the communicator itself, Halkrath sat on the ground to ponder. When would they come back? True he had found some great prey to hunt, but then what? He couldn't wait here forever!

From the corner of the being's yellow eye, he noticed slight movement coming from under the brush to the side. That primitive mammal was back. Frustrated, the creature stood on his legs, lifted his arms up in air, and roared a mighty breath of anger, challenging any who was foolish enough to come close to him.

That, included the mouse.

0o0o0o0

Outside the town's restaurant, in the parking lot sat an old model of Nissan's Maxima line. The bronze shine it once had was dulled to a pale brown, the interior less than favorable. The dashboard had marks upon it, deep gashes, which some started from the very top to the mat on the ground. One headlight had a crack in it, and the left door had a disfigurement, a scar running down its vertical length, death center.

Over all, the thing was only good for the scrap. But Kate knew better. Much better. She walked towards her friend, slightly tapping the window to wake him up. A small shake, and the driver's door opened for her. As she strapped herself in, the engine came to life, in a tired, slow manner, while the radio began to play. A dull, irregular pattern of tapping was heard coming down on the roof of the car, meaning rain. Kate let out a small sigh.

''_We've found a kind of paradise_

_In flowers bloom_

_We've seen the end of a mystic land_

_So close it meets the parting sun_

_We've shared the thoughts that two could share_

_We feel truth magic that we send_

_Searching for something new_

_Isle of gold in flowers bloom…_''

Kate slowly hummed to the tune, as Oleum turned towards her apartment block.

''…_we've heard a kind of paradise_

_Beyond the desert dunes_

_We've walked the Earth in solitude_

_So cold we need the warmth of sun_

_We've lived the life that we could live_

_We see the truth magic that begins…_''

The radio's volume lowered as Oleum's voice took over.

''We're here Kate.''

''I want to finish this song first.'' She whispered.

Without a word, the music came back up, only the rain to counter it.

''…_a kind of paradise_

_Below a sky so new…_''

Clawing the bricks of the building, Halkrath watched through the rain covered windshield of his preys as the human kissed the steering lightly. The door opened, letting the girl out to run for shelter in her apartment. He could see her turn around one last time to take a look at her friend before disappearing within the building. The car's lights turned off, and so did any sound that came from it.

Halkrath wanted to wait until he was certain the thing was fully asleep, to then find the woman and crawl trough her window…scare her into a chase…kill her…skin her…a perfect trophy waiting under that pale skin and lightly-colored hair…but no. Now was too soon. He would wait, learn more about her and her strange friend. How did she come across such a creature? Where was it from? What did it want with that human?...

''…_so when, will it end_

_So when, when will we meet again, my friend_

_So when, will it end…_''

''…my friend…'' concluded Kate.

0o0o0o0

Sunlight crept out of the sea, dispersing the fog on the harbor, scarring the crabs off the beach, and evaporating the dew left on Oleum's vehicular form. From Kate's balcony, the girl waved down to the car in her nightgown, a cup of coffee in hand. He in turn sank a little lower on his tires, expecting the same routine as yesterday.

Oleum loved her, he really did, but sometimes he wondered what else they could do, something different, exciting, adventurous! If only he had had the money humans found so precious when she was young to pay for proper education. He had taught her a lot, from writing and reading to solving complex mathematical problems and facing events and people by thinking 'outside the box'. Yet, she wasn't worth much to her world since she never went to school.

On a personal note, he preferred her here where he could be with her, than the big cities, or a life of constant travels like all important humans had. She was his, his little daughter that grew up into a wise and curious young woman. It had only been fifteen years. Fifteen! Oh, how short an organic's life was! Yet, she seemed to have already forgotten all about the accident, the fire…that damn fire he should have sensed!

''I should have sensed it.'' He told himself.

''What was that?'' an old lady asked as she lifted her head from her meticulous garden work.

''What was what Mrs. Jensen?'' innocently asked Kate as she came through the doors of the apartment block.

''Oh deary. I thought I heard someone talking just a moment ago, but there's no one here!''

''It must have been the wind playing tricks. Have a good day Mrs. Jensen!''

Kate waved goodbye as she sat in her car. She waited patiently in the driver's seat, expecting Oleum to drive her to work. He was doing no such action. With all her strength, she tried forcing the gearshift from 'park' to 'drive', to no avail. The engine cut off.

''What's the big deal Oleum! I'm gonna get fired if I'm late, so let's go!''

After a moment of silence, the engine turned back on, and the car proceeded to drive away from the apartment and to Kate's work place.

''Sometimes you're just so…weird!''

''There was something there…'' he started in a monotone voice.

''Something where? A bug in Mrs. Jensen's flower pot?! Quit paying attention to every little detail Oleum, it's not like I'm in danger or anything.''

He dared not tell her. There had been something, or someone, in her apartment. And that someone wasn't human.

''_So when, will it end._''

00o0o0o00

_**A/N: I died and went to hell, but then the devil kicked me out because I was being too weird. Plus my computer got sick and I had to ask Ratchet to fix it. Sorry for the wait!**_

**TBC…**


	3. Midnight's Illusion

**Driven Pursuit**

Me: I won't try to explain myself. But as one of you managed to track me down, I decided to force myself in working on this chapter. At least it was already half-done.

Oleum: Way to leave us hanging there!

Kate: What's going on?

Halkrath: Can I kill them yet?

Me: All in due time…

Oleum & Kate: WHAT?!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Transformers or Predator. All unrecognizable characters belong only to me.

Warning?: One swear word. Your parents won't mind.

**Chapter 3**: Midnight Illusion

00o0o0o00

Oleum remembered, every summer, when Katelyn was a little girl, her mother would drive to her daughter's grandparents for a few weeks on the beach. When everything fell apart, the Transformer in disguise took the girl away from her destroyed home and drove, as far as he could, until he remembered the beach to the East.

For days they had traveled, and Oleum had been forced to steal from outdoor banking machines in order to feed his charge. Once on the coast, the money kept flowing from strangers' pockets. Winter was particularly difficult, when no tourists came and no money was put in the ATMs.

The machine had set up a camp on a mountain top, keeping a constant fire going, and went out to hunt deer, porcupines and large birds, or went fishing for some crabs or out of season mackerel. Once he got lucky and caught a moose.

Some days the blizzards were too strong for Kate to shelter by herself in the small tent, covered in animal hides, and went to sleep inside the Maxima. He often stayed away during those times, playing soft music and listening to her cry in her sleep.

Summer was much easier. During those times, there were too many visitors for the public to worry about one little child without parents. Oleum often went into town, parked by the side of the road, and let her out, to go buy herself ice cream and toys, new clothes and new swim suits. He never let her out of scanner range. If she wanted to go further than the block on which he let her off, Kate would come back to him and he would drive her to where she wanted.

''What do people do for money?'' she asked once when they sat together to watch the sun set. ''Do they take it out of the money machines like us?''

''Yes. Because they put it in before.''

''Did you put some in before?''

''Not exactly.''

Once she was sixteen, she applied for a job. It wasn't a lot of money, but enough to pay rent, buy food and put some gas in Oleum's empty tank. That's how it stayed ever since. Kate had slowly forgotten about the fire, and a routine was quickly established, allowing both individual some free time together each day.

0o0o0o0

In space, no one can hear you scream. But those that are slaughtering you can.

As a small rounded vessel made a dash for freedom over the African continent, a much larger, bulkier ship was right behind, capable of gaining a velocity that would rip anyone inside to pieces, stalking the fleeing transport. Inside the pursuer, a small group of inorganic creatures watched through the bay window as they prey ran. Their prey were quite technologically-advanced for short-lived, infectious parasites.

The largest of the group made a gesture towards one of the sitting creatures, who acknowledged with a nod and proceeded to open a transmission to the smaller ship. A screen appeared, replacing most of the bay window, and an image came through. The mechanical creatures watched intensely with bright amber optics as a capped organic, no taller to the smallest on-board than to his knee, responded to the transmission.

''Why are you pursuing us?!'' called over the organic, with a proud, angered voice.

The leader of the largest ship made another signal towards the individual sitting at the consol, who in turn scanned the damaged vessel for the main database, and a way to understand the creature's language.

''To eradicate your type,'' came the awaited reply.

''Our type?'' it snorted.

''You puny organics have cost us the Allspark! And I, Starscream, as the new leader of the Decepticons, will punish you for this and take my revenge on any who I find unfit to live!''

The other machines on-board roared in agreement.

''Yaut'jas have nothing to do involving any disagreement between your kind and the planet we are orbiting now. Leave us be!''

''I am afraid that I cannot do that. For you see, one of your _men_, is after someone.'' Explained the Decepticon leader. ''This someone could be important to my cause, and I will not let inferior life forms interfere with my grand destiny.''

''As long as you have us in pursuit, we cannot recall him.'' Growled the yaut'ja.

''Then we will cease fire,'' chuckled Starscream.

''Thank you.''

''Soundwave, destroy the alien vessel!''

''As you command.'' Came the monotone answer from the mech at the controls.

''What?! No, you can't!'' roared the organic.

Soundwave activated the ship's main weapon as the largest on-board turned his back to the screen and walked away without watching the pulverization of the smaller spacecraft. A hollow sound echo through the yautja's hull, followed by the grinding sound of metal caving in on itself. A sudden flash of light ended it all.

0o0o0o0

Another boring day, as it always had been. Kate was not in a particularly good mood, since the boss had asked her, no, ordered her to do something completely impossible, and she was already considering herself as good as fired. It had begun raining again, and the sun was already pushed away by thick clouds of grey. At least this time it was only a drizzle. She just wanted to get home and be done with the day.

The car stopped in its regular spot, but the engine never died down. Oh well, he would shut it off eventually. She reached for the handle. It wouldn't budge. No amount of forcing would make the door open.

''Oleum! It's not funny! Let me out!!''

''No.''

''What do you mean 'no'?! I just want to get some stupid rest and I have enough of everything, will you just let me out, for Fuck's Sake, LET ME OUT!!!'' she began screaming, tears stinging her eyes.

She wasn't happy, but she couldn't understand why she was so furious. There was so much going on in her life, yet so little. She wanted to keep kicking her protector, shout and insult him till she fell asleep from tiredness, but she couldn't. Instead she sank back in the seat and did all she could to keep it all inside, but the more she thought about it, the more tears kept pouring out.

''…why?'' she asked, looking up to the ceiling.

''There's someone in your apartment,'' he warned.

…

''Kate?''

Nothing. She wasn't answering, she simply stared at her bedroom window, expecting to see some figure moving pass, to confirm Oleum's statement. At least she had stopped crying.

''Katelyn?''

In a moment, the mech made his own decision. Oleum huffed as he backed from his parking space and onto the still-warm pavement of the street. The sun light of the sun behind the clouds had completely vanished, and few people were out, mostly townspeople who were uninterested in crowded bars or other tourist facilities. Still, as the Maxima silently turned corners and swiftly moved about to leave the area, he could notice a figure following them, from the rooftops. That, was no human.

At a red light, the figure stopped, staying perched on the tip of an old house's crest. Wearily, Oleum kept his scanners on it until the light changed. Then, he floored it, hoping to gain some distance from the push before the creature caught up. He couldn't understand what it wanted with Kate, but he wasn't about to let any harm come to her.

The car turned this corner, the creature gained. On the other, it disappeared for only a moment before its shadow could be seen again. He attempted veering off in an alley before pulling back in the other direction on a different street. Whatever was up there, it noticed, and came chasing after him. No matter in which manner Oleum tried to break from the pursuer, it was always some distance behind him. The Maxima cut the next red light to floor it in a tight turn, and rush past his usual sea-shore parking of the day to race through a less-visited part of the town. His scanners ahead of him, he could pick out the best exits before he could even see them. He hoped the creature had no such comparable ability.

His sensitive armor picked out the soft vibration of a laser pointing at his roof, aiming for Kate. Even with the rain finally ceased, the streets were slippery, and Oleum often risked hitting the curb or smacking in a pole. His entire attention was on losing the laser's constant touch, break the creature's concentration for just one moment. The dim red lights upon him were soon over-powered by a different source, one the mech had not noticed until now. His sense of hearing seemed to come back to the present, as all he could have heard before was the rapid pulse of his passenger, the true danger unknown to her. She had been screaming all of this time for him to slow down, and had struggled hard to keep back the seatbelt that had pressed her flat against the seat.

Sirens. Flashing lights. The Nissan parked on the side of the street, and the officer behind him walked up to his driver's side to tap the window. As for the creature, it had disappeared. Apparently, it wouldn't attempt to make its kill in plain sight of other humans. Oleum was thankful for this short break. But as Kate tried her best to explain herself to the man without arousing suspicions about her car, the mech was already focusing on their next escape. The creature was sure to be back.

0o0o0o0

**TBC for now…**

Vbv


End file.
